Electronic computing devices often display virtual controls on their displays. For example, keyboards, menus, dialog boxes, alerts, and other controls may appear and disappear while using applications on a portable electronic device (e.g., a smart phone, tablet, or notebook computer).
The initial display of a virtual control may be distracting to a user, causing the user to momentarily lose their place in an application. In addition, virtual controls that are displayed on top of other elements in an application user interface obscure or hide those elements, which also makes it harder for a user maintain context in an application. This is particularly true for portable devices with small displays, where the virtual control (e.g., a keyboard) may occupy a significant portion of the display.